


life's veer

by cloudyrin



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Blood and Gore, Butterflies, Coffee, Drama, F/M, Family, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Ghouls, Half-Siblings, Tokyo Ghoul: re
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:55:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29937891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudyrin/pseuds/cloudyrin
Summary: 𝐀𝐈beneath  the mask  of  an astounding warrior,you are a  little  butterfly  whose  wings  werestolen from you brutally by humanity's hands.you are a  fallen  princess  whose  crown  hadbeen smashed by humanity's greed and ideals.life had treated you badly so you can  cry  now.but  hide  your pain ,  your tears  ,  your scars  ,your blood , your weaknesses , oh broken girl.because   showing   them   would   only   givesatisfaction to  those whom  had  ruined  you.( available on wattpad )
Relationships: Arima Kishou & Original Female Character(s), Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise & Original Female Character(s), Nagachika Hideyoshi/Original Female Character(s), Urie Kuki/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i do not own anything from the original tokyo ghoul :re series. i only own my ocs and the changes made. there will be changes regarding the plot, ages, time and etc. from the original series. there will be a mix from the anime and manga in this fanfiction.
> 
> warnings :  
> mentions of blood , characters' deaths , trauma & other possible triggering contents. reader discretion is advised.

❝ _**AND HERE YOU ARE LIVING**_  
 _ **DESPITE IT ALL**_ ❞  
 _rupi kaur_

━━━

 **AI LEANED AGAINST THE SOLID WALL.** The cold surface touched her pale skin , causing her to shiver unintentionally. Her skinny arms wrapped around her small body, trying to find warmth and comfort for herself. She took in her surroundings for the umpteenth time ever since she was thrown into the small dark cell. Her dull purple eyes were casted downwards, her dry unkempt purple locks falling down her thin shoulders.

How long had it been since she was locked in there? Left to be alone with a scarred heart and a broken mind. It must had been so so long. Her hair had grown until they reached her hips, her nails were long and dirty and her skin was so dry. She was nothing more than skin and bones. Those cruel creatures never gave her the chance to fill herself with the nutrients she needed to survive. A small whimper escaped her chapped lips when her stomach growled, begging to be fed with something. She allowed her frail body to crash onto the hard bed where she slept, cried, screamed for the whole time she had stayed in that hellhole.

Just when she was about to sleep her way to ignore the unbearable hunger, her sharp ears caught the noise of the door that led to her confined room slid open. She curled herself, wishing she could just make herself vanish that very moment or at the least, the man would leave if he saw she was 'sleeping'. She forced her eyes shut tightly, her body trembled from both the cold and fear that was crawling her skin like a disgusting bug.

"I know you're awake, Ai," the man spoke, his voice carried no emotion. When did his voice became so empty? The girl wondered but never dared to ask.

Despite knowing her act was already useless, she refused to open them. She refused to look at the man who had placed her there. She refused to look at the man who she knew now despised her for the path she took. It was not entirely her fault though... right? If her half-brother had not forced her out of the fence that had protected her for six years... then maybe she could be smiling and laughing with the man sitting beside her bed rather than cowering away from him.

"Get up. We have matters to discuss."

She did not listen to his order. She remained on her spot, not moving even an inch.

"Ai Ari-"

"Don't," the girl whispered weakly. She did not want to hear it. She did not want to hear the old name she had abandoned long ago. She did not want to hear the name that connected them together. It was painful. It was a painful reminder of the guilt weighing down on her frail shoulders. "I'll get up... I'll get up..."

She did so slowly, her thin arms shaking as she pushed her body away from the bed and leaned her back against the cold wall. A few strands purple hair fell over her face, but it did not do a good job at hiding how dreadful she looked. Even after she made herself comfortable --not that she was in any way because of the heavy air of stress-- she still refused to look at the man in the eyes. The grey stormy eyes that once brimmed with undying love was replaced with the eyes of the reaper.

"Your disposal date has been decided," the man informed, his tone still calm. 

She wondered what he truly felt. Was he sad for her? Was he angry at her? Would he risk his life to save her? She wanted to scoff, but it never came. All of her energy had already been drained from her from the day she was left only with the shell of herself. All that she could muster was a quiet hum. However, the response she gave him obviously did not satisfy the man.

For once, an expression was there on his face instead of his stoic and serious look. His lips was curled up in disdain, not that the girl was looking. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turned white from the tight grip. No one could see how his bottom lip was trembling unless they stared at him directly, closely, but no one would ever do that. No sane person would ever dare to stare at him straight in the face long enough to see the real meaning behind his hazy eyes.

Suddenly, the man stood up, startling the silent girl. Even so, she tried not to show it. Hesitantly, she moved her eyes to look at his figure --not his face-- through the gaps between her long hair. A loud gasped came from her when a rough hand grabbed her face and forced her to look up.

For once after so long, she finally met eyes with him again.

"You are going to _die_ ," he said with his hollow voice. The girl wanted to turn away but the man tightened his grip on her face, causing her to let out a small whimper. "You are meant to die. You were dead. You were supposed to be dead."

Both of their bodies trembled, one from fear and guilt while the other with mixed emotions.

"But this time... you will not die."

The girl's body tensed when his face came closer to his. What was he doing? Is it not the reaper's job to take the lives of humans and ghouls alike? So what kind of joke was he trying to pull out?

Then again, Kishou had always been an enigma, unknown and too mysterious to everyone on the face of the earth.

_"You will live, Ai."_

And Ai had always been a girl that can be read like a book, so expressive and easily manipulated by words.

"You will live... _but that butterfly will never fly again. And that princess will never get her crown again_ ," he hissed dangerously, a threat that if she were to defy him, she will meet her end. However, rather than hearing his strong words clearly, the words of a dead boy reached her ears.

" _You're a butterfly, right? You can always fly because you have your wings. You're a princess too, right? Then you will always have your crown._ "

For once ever since she was thrown into the dark, she heard his voice. The voice of her lost light, of her fallen prince, of her faded hope. Still, despite knowing the fact that he was gone, despite knowing the fact that her "Lucky Charm" had vanished, she smiled. For once ever since she was reunited with the man before her, her eyes gleamed with _life_.


	2. Chapter 2

❝ _**YOU'RE OKAY.**_  
 _ **STAY PATIENT**_. ❞  
 _seeker_

━━━

 **AI SAT LAZILY ON THE PLAIN METAL CHAIR.** She leaned back, her head tilted to the side while her arms and legs were crossed. She could not care less if she looked like a bratty child who was going through a rebellious phase. All she wanted to do was to get out of the room that was slowly suffocating her with its foul air. All she wanted to do, was to smash the glass that stood between her and a smirking young man so she could pounce at him and bite that stupid smug look from his nasty face.

Why did she have to do this? A question she would ask herself every single time she was forced to come face to face with the one responsible for screwing up her life in the first place. She would rather let herself become a bait for a mission than sitting and talking to the insolent man. He was unbearable. The dumb smirk, the vexing teasing, the useless walk down the memory lane, it irritated her to no end. Then again, not doing this would cost her own pitiful life.

A disgusted look appear on her face for a brief second. Why did she still care about her life that was not even hers anymore?

"So..." she already felt sick by listening to his ludic voice. "What are you here for this time, Ai?"

"Remember your place," the young woman hissed, her words dripped with dangerous venom while her purple eyes narrowed warningly.

A humourless laugh came from his rotten mouth. Still, his infamous expression of amusement stayed on his face. He pouted childishly and blinked his eyes rapidly, pretending to act cute. Ai sent him a serious look, one that caused him to break into a howl of laughter, this time out of genuine amusement.

"Fine. Fine. Investigator....." he hummed, choosing name he wanted to call her --even though he knew what he should call her. Real name or fake name? The smirk came back. "Murakami."

Fake name it is.

"Same old. Same old. Nothing new. Information," Ai replied monotonously.

A loud groan came from the man on the other side of the huge glass. She rolled her eyes, clearly unaffected by his expected reaction. He had been doing the same thing over and over again after her eighth visit. She remained silent, waiting for him to finish with his childish antics. It wasn't until his whines became louder did she snap.

"TA GUEULE, IMBÉCILE!"

Surprisingly, --despite her speaking in a foreign language-- he listened to her words. He covered his mouth playfully, like a child being caught for saying a bad word. However, his bogus smile later vanished, replaced with a look of absolute boredom.

"For the goodness of the angels, ma chérie," he drawled, mockingly when she said the last two words. "I've been stuck in here for two years. How in the f*ucking hell am I supposed to know what's going on out there."

"You always say that... and yet you always throwing up the answers in the end."

And to prove her words true, he did just as she said he would. He gave what she needed --though not all of it-- while throwing jokes here and there as he always did. Still, none of his jest caused the woman to laugh, there was not even a hint of a smile. Ai could not see it --she was not even looking at him-- but there was a glint of disappointment and unspoken distress in his brilliant amber eyes. Both emotions were directed to what she had become.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mochizuki," sarcasm covered her words and venom spilled from her lips when he spoke his name. She turned around, no intentions of looking at him again as she walked towards the exit silently.

Isamu Mochizuki smirked, clearly ignoring the plain contempt towards him. "Come by again, petite soeur."

His smirk widened when she quickly looked over her shoulder, sending him a vicious glare with her magnificent purple eyes.

"Va te faire voir."

━━━

**"HAISE, STAY AWAY."**

Ai's voice laced with clear annoyance and a dangerous threat. Her eyes focused intensely on the screen in front of her while her fingers hit the keyboard harshly. An empty cup was removed from her table by her partner who quickly moved away from the furious woman. Haise Sasaki chuckled nervously.

"Okay. Okay. Can't have you start cursing in french with me. I won't be able to understand a thing," he spoke in a light tone, trying to make the mood less tense.

The young man let out a small shriek when her sharp eyes quickly moved towards him, staring him down as if he was a disgusting centipede. The man with white and black hair --Ai wanted to pull out the black hair out of his roots so so so much , they did not belong there. Or maybe she should just cut the white away so it all would be all black again-- took there big steps away from her desk, closer towards the exit with her coffee cup in his hand. In a swift move, he ran out. The woman glared at the door as if she wanted to destroy it; how dare he took her precious cup away when she was feeling this frustrated. Still, it did not take long before he came back, the cup in his hands with steam coming out from it. He placed the now coffee filled cup on her desk, gave her a blinding smile before ran off again.

She let out sigh for the umpteenth time that day. Silently and gratefully, she took the cup into her hands and drank the warm coffee slowly, taking in the bitter sweet taste wholeheartedly. Another sigh left her lips, this time out of relief and content. A cup of coffee always helped her to feel a bit less stress.

For once ever since coming back into her office, Ai removed her gaze from the bright monitor of her computer. She looked at the empty white ceiling, thoughts running in her mind like wild horses.

Haise Sasaki. It took awhile for her to make the name acceptable on her tongue. When she was first introduced to him, the name sounded so unpleasant. Who was this stranger who was wearing her friend's body as if it was meant to be rent by random souls. She hated him when her purple eyes fell on him at first. Still she needed to accept him, for the safety of the body. The body needed to be fine in case her friend made a decision to show himself.

She did not like this Haise persona. But now that she had gotten to know him for more than a year, she can not say that she hated it still. He was just like how her friend used to be before tragedy fell onto him like bricks from the depths of hell. The only differences were the white hair and the white coat. She wished they were allowed to wear something else, but work is work and they had to wear them if they wanted to stay alive --not that Haise knew of this fact.

Ai knew, deep inside her heart and mind she knew, the chance of her friend returning to her was next to zero. She knew this and slowly she chose to accept it. She would never admit it, but Haise was not all that bad. Having someone who looked familiar --though she wished he could act familiar-- was good enough for her. She can handle Haise.

"AI-CHAN!!!"

She took back her words.

"BON SANG! HAISE!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Haise apologised for barging into their shared office while bowing repeatedly. Suddenly, his face then turned blank. "Wait. Does that mean "go away" or "what now" ?"

"HAISE SASAKI!"

"Okay!!! Sorry!!!" He wailed, going down on his knees and forehead against the carpeted floor. It took two whole minutes before he finally stood up straight again. Ai sent him a glare, silently fuming of his sudden disturbance and waiting for him to spit out whatever he wanted to say. No matter how much of a goofball he was, he would never dare to barge into a room when he knew Ai --who was having a bad mood-- was in it. So there must be a logical explanation for his outburst.

"What?"

"Well... Akira-san and Arima-san want to see us... both."

She did not try to hide her displeasure of the news at all. She was fine with Akira Mado, the woman was tolerable. But Kishou Arima..... there was a reason why Haise mentioned the female investigator's name first.

'Mon dieu, this is going to be bothersome.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> french words translation ;
> 
> ta gueule , imbécile : shut up , imbecile  
> ma chérie : my dear  
> petite soeur : little sister  
> va te faire voir : go to hell  
> bon sang : damn it / good grief  
> mon dieu : oh god / my god / good lord


	3. Chapter 3

❝ _ **NEVER SETTLE FOR BEING A GENTLE BREEZE WHEN YOU WERE BORN A STORM.**_ ❞  
 _jenim dibie_

━━━

 **THE AIR WAS SLOWLY CHOKING HER.** She felt its invincible hands wrapped around her neck gleefully, almost teasing her, daring her to breathe. If air had been a person, she could just imagine the twisted smile on its lips, the crazed bloodlust filled eyes staring deep into her amethyst gems. The air was cackling at her helplessness, at her forced obedience. It was mocking her, the air that hovered within the room took pleasure in her despair, at the fear she hid so flawlessly beneath her facade. Ai wondered if it would ever be bored of the game they had been playing for two years now. Ai wondered when she would finally stop feeling like this --the emotion of anxiety-- every time she stared into those hollow grey eyes of the reaper.

Kishou Arima sat on his chair within his grand-like office as if it was his throne. If it had been a throne, surely it would've been made by the most exquisite gold and adorned by deep rubies or other expensive gems --this would've been how Haise would describe it. To Ai, it was different. All she saw was a chair made out of rotten bones of this man's victims --both saints and sinners-- painted by their thick warm blood and perfected with the deep black feathers of a crow which was an omen of death. Ai held back a grimace. She could smell the reeking scent of blood and death oozing from the figure of the famed and beloved Reaper of the CCG. Her skin crawled when the stink joined the air in choking her.

Ai didn't hold her gaze for long. It was torture for her. Instead, she moved her stare to the woman who stood proud and tall beside the man's huge mahogany desk. Unlike Kishou's face that was void of any emotion, Akira Mado's lips were tipped upwards, forming a small smile. However, it was not settled on the younger woman, it was for Haise Sasaki who grinned childishly --after all, who could resist that innocent face? Haise was beloved and cherished by these two people who he viewed as his parents. Ai held back a humourless laugh. She could just imagine how her friends would gag at the thought.

The half-ghoul played with her fingers that were hidden behind her straightened back, wishing the moment would pass quickly. She had enough of this silence that was far from friendly and comforting for her. It might be for Haise, but for her, it was a slow burn torment. If this continued any longer, she wouldn't be able to keep up with the thin emotionless mask she had put on. Her tongue was just itching to yell out another curse word in french that she had learned years ago in the past. The anticipation was exasperating.

"I'm sure you two are wondering why I... we called you here," Kishou finally spoke, his deep voice cutting the silence like a lethal knife. Immediately Ai's purple eyes fell back on him, waiting --impatiently-- for him to continue.

"Yes, sir," Haise replied, a friendly smile still stuck on her lips while Ai simply nodded. If her partner had been his old self, the roles would've switched. She would be the one to do all the talking while he stood in the sideline, giving short answers and simple gestures. Perhaps this was the only good change he had underwent, in Ai's opinion. "It must be really important for you to insist me dragging Ai here."

The mentioned woman bit her tongue harshly and clenched her fists tightly. Now he was just begging for trouble. Her purple irises narrowed as she sent a threatening side glance at her ever happy-go-lucky partner. Haise was smiling still, an awkward laugh escaping his lips. He shuffled his feet as he tried to move away from the woman as discreet as possible. He could practically breathe in the hostility that came from her and he started to sweat. A pun came up in his mind, but he knew saying it out loud wouldn't lightened up the situation, it was signing his own death warrant.

"Indeed. The matter we're about to discuss is very important," the bespectacled man stated, ignoring the lethal aura that was hovering over the purple haired woman. It was directed to Haise after all and not him. "You two will be given your own squad to mentor together."

Silence took over the whole room instead and this time it didn't feel like torture, it was more of a needed silence. Ai knew Kishou was blunt but to be this straightforward was just... ridiculous. It wasn't like he was giving them a chance to think over his words, they were orders. Strict orders.

"With all due respect, sir," Ai tried her best to keep the bitterness in her voice at bay. She wasn't certain if it had worked or not but went on with her words. "You want us. Us. The two of us to take over a whole squad?"

"Yes."

Ai could feel blood flowing down her throat, the metallic taste made her thirsty for some flesh. She was biting onto her tongue too harshly, causing her sharp teeth to make a small cut. This only fueled the anger flaring within her. This man, probably the whole CCG was messing around with her. Her biological father and bastard siblings were eager to make her suffer weren't they? Making her responsible over a squad, forcing her to make new bonds just to lose them in the end. They were in a hurry for her to break.

She wanted to so much pounce at the man, give them a reason to exterminate her. After all, she was supposed to die two years ago. But Kishou just had to play with the strings and get her out, but with it cost. And he wasn't the one who had to pay, she was. The Washuu would not dare to touch Kishou Arima. He was too important, their pride and joy despite being an illegitimate child. However, the same did not fall upon Ai Arima. Perhaps, once upon a time she was their princess, their successful creation. But those days were gone the moment she stepped out into the real world, away from the garden of fragrant flowers that masked the stench of blood.

Akira cleared her throat. The tension was getting thicker by every passing second and it unpleasant. She didn't know the whole story of the past between the Special Class Investigator and the purple haired woman. All she knew was that Ai was a ghoul captured by Arima two years ago during one of their most important and biggest operation. And the only reason she was spared from execution was because of her interesting circumstances. So of course, she knew where all of the spite was coming from. And Akira had no wish to be in the middle of the crossfire.

"I'm sure you're aware of the Quinx Project," the blonde spoke out, her pinkish eyes looked intently at the two Rank 1 Investigators.

This time, Ai didn't bother to hide her displeasure. Her face pulled into a grimace as she shivered slightly as the feeling of disgust crawled through her every being. Her stomach churned uncomfortably and she felt a nasty bile rising up her throat, threatening to leave her system at any moment. Oh the thought of the Quinx Project had always made her feel sick straight into her core. CCG was meant to protect people from ghouls and those who posed as threats to the human race. They were made to provide peace for the humans. Unfortunately, that didn't stop their minds from becoming as twisted as the foulest creatures ever existed on the face of the rotten earth. They slowly turning into a corrupted organisation. They were trying to play god just like the bastard with the name of Akihiro Kanou.

Ai hated that man with a burning passion. That man who thought he could play with people's lives as if they were toys meant for children. She hated him for making people's lives miserable. She hated him for throwing her friend into a hellish life. She hated hated hated him. And now the CCG was becoming him. More reasons to add on the list as to why she hated the CCG in the first place.

The expression on her face was an answer itself for Akira. She knew Ai was against this. She was on the same page too. Though it may not be just because she didn't want people to suffer like ghouls --this was Ai's main reason-- she didn't want people to risk their lives for a surgery that could lead them to death's door. It was too dangerous. Yet look where they were now; they already had five completed and successful Quinxes.

"The project is a success," Akira continued with her explanation after receiving a serious "yes" from Haise. She saw how both young investigators were shocked by the news and how Ai had flinched at her words. Her eyes caught a hint of horror within her shaky purple eyes. "There are already five investigators ready and the already have their... kagunes planted in them. After some time with training, they'll be able to join in operations."

"And... you want us to mentor them..." Haise muttered quietly, but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"Yes, Haise," Akira confirmed. "You are the only ones who can use kagunes after all. And both of you have incredible skills which I'm sure you'll be able to pass down to them."

No. No. Ai didn't want to do that. She didn't want to give her moves away. They were hers, they were her speciality. Her title within the ghoul community may had vanished, swallowed up by the years she was inactive, but it was still hers. She may be broken inside and out but the alias known far and wide throughout Tokyo was still hers. She wasn't going to allow some brats to copy her.

In the end, what could she do? She was no longer that proud ghoul who wandered the streets of her Ward, smiling and helping the weak. She was no longer the royalty they all loved and respected. That was her old life, a life that was burn down to the ground. She would never be able to return it. Especially not after her delicate wings were ripped away and replaced by the heavy burdens of a dove whose wings were too much for her to handle. Ai was no more than another chess piece in the game her so-called family had been playing for decades. Perhaps in the past she had escaped it but now she was back and there was no other exit. And the only chance of survival, was to listen.

Listen to the orders. Listen to their venomous words. Listen to their mocking jeers. Listen. Commit. Endure. Keep her mouth shut. Those were the simple yet difficult rules she had to obey within this life. A life as a pure white dove with a rotten black heart.

Ai felt someone nudging her side and sent Haise a glare, but with less malice than before. The pudding head nodded his head forward at the direction of the two high ranking investigators who were still waiting for an answer. Haise was obedient, he was too kind for his own good. He would do anything to please others and Ai knew despite his slight hesitancy, he had already agreed to the given order. So it was down to her.

Ai wondered, if she refused, would they kill her? Would she finally be able to leave this miserable life that she had never asked for? Or would she be sent to Cochlea instead? Would she stay there to rot and tortured until insanity takes over her body and finally be disposed of? She wondered and wondered what would happen. There was only one way to find out and that was to refuse.

However, if she did, if she was finally out of the picture, what would happen to Haise? Would they harm him in any way? Would they kill him if he lost control like he did during their early days as Ghoul Investigators? After all, she was the one effective to calm him down without injuring him too much. Her and Kishou. But if both of them were not present during the moment, would they kill him? The only thing that rang inside her head was yes. Yes, they would kill him. They would take away the last piece of her peaceful past. She didn't want that, anything but that.

"Fine. I'll take the job."

So she agreed.

━━━

**"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY'RE MAKING US LIVE TOGETHER! C'EST N'IMPORTE QUOI!"**

Haise could only laugh awkwardly as his partner continued to curse in french. It was a habit of hers that he was used to by now but wished she would keep it at the minimum. Haise was incredible at japanese literature, he could make poems and read books with difficult vocabulary. Unfortunately, foreign language was not his forte. It was Ai's. However, she only stuck with french and Haise didn't know the real reason behind it. He held himself back from asking what Ai would call a stupid question. The first time he asked she gave him a vague answer, saying it was because she had an old friend who liked french and she copied the person. When he asked again, she gave him a kick on the gut and he shivered at the thought of the pain he felt back then. There was no way he wanted to endure it once more. So he stayed silent as she continued to rant in french, watching her carry the boxes that held their personal belongings.

Arima and Akira had informed them how the whole squad would be living together under one roof in a house that belonged to the CCG. The Chateau, they had called it. It was huge and magnificent in Haise's opinion, perfect for them considering they were going to live with seven grown up adults. He was amazed by the careful designs made for the exterior and interior of the mansion-like house. It looked modern yet welcoming and warm. This brought a smile to Haise's lips. It definitely felt like a home.

He thought they would've had to share rooms with their soon-to-be squad members but that statement was quickly thrown out of the window when the duo first arrived. The Chateau had more than enough rooms for them, all equally spacious and suited within the second and the third floors of the building. Haise knew how against Ai was with the idea of living together with people she called "brats", hence why he gave her the chance to choose her room first to lighten up her mood. He wasn't sure if it worked but Ai stopped cursing when he told her this and that was a good sign. She ended up choosing the biggest room on the third floor which had its own bathroom for more privacy.

'Of course she would've chosen that one,' Haise thought with a sweat-drop. 'There is no way Ai Murakami would be sharing with others.'

"Ai-chan! I'm putting away the rest of my stuff! I'll meet you back in the living room before we go to meet the rest!" The pudding head called out to his partner who was carrying her last boxes upstairs. He heard a grumble coming from her.

"Oh, how exciting. We're meeting the brats," the woman said sarcastically. She was only in the presence of Haise Sasaki, there was no need to hide her annoyance.

"Come on, Ai-chan! I'm sure they won't be that bad!"

"That positivity of yours will be your downfall, Haise."

Ai didn't bother to wait for his response and made her way to her chosen room. She closed the door behind her and placed the boxes down with a tired huff. It was hard going up and down repeatedly from the first to the third floor. Even so, she didn't regret choosing the room. She would get the chance to stay away from the others as much as possible. Ai's purple eyes took in the whole surrounding. It was spacious for sure, it had more than enough room for her. It wasn't like she had an endless collection of books like Haise did. The only things in her possession were clothes and other important necessities needed in life. With that thought, her eyes fell on a worn out box that she used to put under her bed in the former apartment she lived in next to Haise's. She hadn't touched in a long time and only did it this time because they were moving.

Ai pulled the box closer towards her as she sat on the cleaned wooden floor. Her hands moved to open it but she stopped herself. She hesitated. Ever since she claimed it back from the place where she buried it, Ai had only opened it once and she immediately cried out waterfalls when she did. She wondered if the same would happen again if she dared to even spare a glance at the contents. Would her emotions beat her up again? Would she be overwhelmed by them if she saw the precious treasures she kept in that old box? Ai was mad at lots of things in life, and her weakness to overcome her fears was one of those things.

'They're just old random stuff,' Ai convinced herself in her mind with a sigh to calm down her nerves. She prepared herself to open the old box. 'That's all... that's all..."

"AI-CHAN!!! ARE YOU DONE YET?!!!"

"Tant pis," Ai muttered quietly as she tried to keep herself from yelling out of annoyance for being disturbed. Haise sure had a thing with perfect timing. "I'M COMING!"

The young woman abandoned her box and decided to look through all of them once they got back with the new members. Ai left the room and went to join Haise in the living area of their new house. She swiftly ignored his rants and walked towards their shared car, driving towards the CCG headquarters. She tuned out most of the words that left Haise's lips, a lot of them were about his excitement and nervousness about getting new squad members to look after. The nervous pudding head had no way to distract himself from the huge responsibility both of them were soon to receive. Hence, he was trying to figure out what kind of people their students would be.

Were they shy? Were they brave? Would they not hesitate to offer a helping hand? Would they be stubborn? Were they going to respect them as their mentors? So many questions were running through his mind at high speed. He couldn't stop himself from overthinking. Ah... why did Arima and Akira had to have a lot of expectations with him.

"Haise. Ta gueule," the young woman hissed once they finally arrived at the headquarters. The young man quickly covered his mouth in fear of irritating his partner even more. Ai huffed, at least he understood her this time.

"Haise, I know you're worried. But overthinking won't do you any good. And if you still want to overthink, keep your thoughts to yourself."

"I'm sorry, Ai-chan," the man said sheepishly while scratching the back of his neck. "I'm just nervous." 

They were walking towards empty meeting room where they would finally meet their students. As they did, Ai could feel the stares given to them by their fellow coworkers. The burning glares and disgusted eyes irritated her but she kept her cool. She pretended as if she couldn't see them whispering among themselves as they discreetly pointed fingers at them. Haise, the ever so innocent Haise was oblivious to all these stares but Ai was not. Perhaps he knew of them and if he did, he was doing a great job at ignoring them. He still kept on his signature bright grin while Ai didn't even bother to hide her deep frown. She could fake her obedience with the higher ups but she wouldn't bother to waste her effort for these nobodies.

At last, after what felt like hours, they finally reached the meeting room where they were ordered to go to. They stood in front of the door silently, wary of taking another step. Ai sent her partner a look and nudged him, encouraging him to step in first. Haise wasn't quite fond with the plan and shook his head like a child. He nodded his head towards the door and pointed a finger at the young woman, a sign for her to get in first. And this time, she was the one to shake her head. Ah she felt like a child again. It was like the time when she and Kaneki were too shy to meet Sen Takatsuki to get her autograph --well, Ai was sure she was no longer shy with the famous author after knowing her real identify.

After a minute or two of their silent argument through eye contact and hand gestures, Ai admitted defeat. She swore she was going to give Haise a good kick once they get back to The Chateau for celebrating his childish win.

So Ai finally pushed the door opened and any chatter within the room vanished. The woman took a step in, her eyes casted downwards and then focused on Haise who entered after her. Ai's sharp ears caught a quiet gasp that came from one the new investigators and she unintentionally looked towards its direction. She quickly regretted her action when her bright eyes met with a pair of warm brown ones that she never thought to see again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ▪︎ french words translation :  
> c'est n'importe quoi : that's bullshit  
> tant pis : never mind
> 
> ▪︎ so as you can see , there are times when i refer Kishou Arima as Kishou and as Arima. here is how it goes. if the paragraph focuses more on Ai , i will use Kishou but if it focuses on other characters , i will use Arima. thank you and sorry if there were any confusion.


End file.
